Our view: Cost, Dobbelaer and Kanagy the Democrat picks for Newark City Council

Newark Democrats have a good mix of candidates to select as their nominees for the three at-large City Council positions.

The four candidates offer a variety of experiences, passions and beliefs. We believe Bill Cost, Seth Dobbelaer and Jen Kanagy are the three best choices for the nominations.

Bill Cost(Photo: Submitted)

Cost is serving his second term on the council, finishing with the second highest vote total in 2015 in a six-person race. Cost has developed a reputation for actively attending numerous community events to not only keep apprised of what is happening, but also to make himself available to constituents.

His friendly demeanor and attention to constituents makes him well deserving of another nomination from his party. In fact in our interview with Cost, he showed a continued willingness to learn about issues and help work toward solutions, a drive that is critical for an incumbent.

Dobbelaer and Kanagy are both making their second attempt at seats on the council after failing to win different ward seats in 2017. It was clear the two had their differences, as they traded barbs during several exchanges in the interview process. But we think they both bring something worth nominating to the table.

Seth Dobbelaer(Photo: Submitted)

As a young adult Dobbelaer has shown an incredible drive to become involved in numerous ways in the community. The apple farmer serves on the Licking County Soil & Water Conservation District Board, the Weathervane Playhouse Board and Canal Market District Vendor Advisory Committee, among others. He showed a solid understanding of issues facing the city with some pragmatic steps to help. This includes a rental registry so the city has contact information for landlords when properties are not kept up to code.

Jen Kanagy(Photo: Submitted)

Kanagy is a passionate advocate for the disenfranchised in Newark. The nurse makes it clear the city is not doing enough to help those facing poverty and homelessness. She serves as co-captain of the Newark Homeless outreach, volunteering numerous hours to provide help to those in the most need. In the city's problematic handling of its homeless camps, Kanagy has been outspoken on the need to show compassion to those in need. If elected, there is no doubt she would speak out for what she believes and would press any administration that isn't responsive enough.

Also running is Daniel Crawford, who has sought office twice before unsuccessfully. Crawford had some good ideas and is a generally thoughtful individual, but we do not believe he has demonstrated why he would be a good council member. He did write a letter of support for Kanagy over himself and said he encouraged her to run.

All four candidates said they would support a needle exchange in Licking County in some form and all had concerns with constructing another fire station in the city without a plan to staff the facility. Dobbelaer and Crawford expressed some support for the city again trying to raise its income tax rate for public safety needs, while Cost and Kanagy did not.

The three Democratic nominees will face Republicans Ryan Bubb, Mark Frazier and Jeff Harris in November, as only three Republicans sought the three nominations.